Bart Ridgeley eBook

“Exactly,” said Uncle Jonah, “make
him useful. But, Dr. Lyman and Joshua Burnett,
the boy has got the stuff in him—­the stuff
in him. Why, he told you here, in fifteen minutes,
more about the State of Ohio than you both ever knew.
You will see—­”

“You will see, too, that he will not come to
a darn,” said Uncle Josh, regarding that as
a sad doom indeed.

CHAPTER IV.

Atthepost-office.

Barton found a more attractive group at the store.
The post-office occupied a window and corner near
the front of the large, old-fashioned, square store-room;
and, as he entered the front door, he saw, in the
back part of the room, a gay, laughing, warbling,
giggling, chirping group of girls gathered about Julia
Markham, as their natural centre. Barton was
a little abashed; he might have moved up more cautiously,
and reconnoitred, had he not been taken by surprise.
There was no help for it. He deposited his letters
and called for his mail, which gave him time to gather
his forces in hand.

Now Barton was born to love and serve women in all
places, and under all forms and circumstances.
His was not a light, silly, vapid, complimentary devotion,
but deep in his nature, through and through, he reverenced
woman as something sacred and high, and above the vulgar
nature of men; this reformed his mind, and inspired
his manners; and, while he was generally disliked
by men, he was favorably regarded by women. It
was not in woman’s nature to think ill of a youth
who was always so modestly respectful, and anxious
to please and oblige; and no man thus constituted
was ever awkward or long embarrassed in woman’s
presence. She always gets from him, if not his
best, what is proper. If he can lose self-consciousness,
and receive the full inspiration of her presence,
he will soon be at his ease, if not graceful.

The last thing absolutely that ever could occur to
Barton, and it never had as yet, was the possibility
of his being an object of interest personally to a
woman, or to women. He was modest—­almost
to bashfulness; but as he never presumed, he was never
snubbed; and now, on this summer afternoon, he had
came upon a group of seven or eight of the most attractive
girls of the neighborhood, accompanied by one or two
strangers. There was Julia, never so lovely before,
with a warm color on her cheek, and a liquid light
in her dark eyes, in whose presence all other girls
were commonplace; and her friends Nell Roberts and
Kate Fisher, Lizzie Mun and Pearlie Burnett, and several
others. The young man was seen and recognized,
and had to advance. Think of walking thirty feet
alone in the faces of seven or eight beautiful girls,
and at the same time be easy and graceful! It
is funny, what a hush the presence of one young man
will bring over a laughing, romping cluster of young
women. At his entrance, their girlish clamor
sunk to a liquid murmur; and, when he approached, they